Audi S4 review - updated with impressions on S4 Avant
JETHRO BOVINGDON25 JUL 2016
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Image 1 of 23
VERDICT:
S4 suggests a huge amount of potential within the new A4 chassis…but the overall experience is perhaps too retrained for its own good.
PRICE:
From £43,500 (approx.)
FOR
Incredible quality, fluid ride, nicely poised feeling, strong and responsive engine
AGAINST
New ‘box less exciting, driving experience feels softer-edged than previously
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Understated almost to the point of anonymity, the S4 is our first taste of a performance derivative of the new Audi A4.

There’ll be an RS4 to follow but often the S sub-brand does a fine job of delivering strong performance without the pulverising chassis settings that
can inflict the RS models. It has a direct injection 3-litre V6 turbocharged engine good for 349bhp at 5400-6400rpm and 369lb ft from 1370-4500rpm.
Prices haven’t yet been announced in the UK but expect to pay from around £43,500.

Sitting just below the potent ‘RS’ model line, Audi’s S models are often very sweet indeed. Can the new S4 improve upon the old car’s appealing mix of
performance, usability and subtle good looks?

Technical highlights

The big news here is the switch from supercharged to turbocharged technology, plus the adoption of an 8-speed automatic gearbox instead of the old
car’s dual clutch S tronic transmission. Power outputs are up 20bhp and 44lb ft over the old car and the new A4 provides a much lighter, stiffer
platform, too. The S4 and S4 Avant are around 75kg less than the previous S4s at 1630kg and 1675kg respectively. Both variants dip below 5-seconds for
the 0-62mph sprint (4.7sec and 4.9sec) and the top speed is limited to 155mph, as you’d expect.

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The S4 is, of course, underpinned by a four-wheel drive chassis. Under normal circumstances power is split 40/60 front to rear but up to 70 per cent
of power can go to the front axle or 85 per cent to the rear should conditions demand it. The active torque vectoring ‘sport differential’ for the
rear axle remains an option at around £1500 and the new S4 also lightly brakes the inside wheels during hard cornering to create a more agile feeling.
Also on the options list is Continuous Damper Control, which features Comfort, Auto and Dynamic settings, and the variable ratio Dynamic Steering
system.

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Image 2 of 23
What’s it like to drive?

The first thing that strikes you about the S4 – other than the superb interior and rather brilliant (and optional) virtual cockpit system – is how
refined it is. Our car is fully loaded with 19-inch wheels (18s are standard in Europe but this may be how the S4 arrives in the UK), Continuous
Damper Control and the clever sport differential. It rides beautifully in Comfort mode and on our admittedly smooth-surfaced test route, Dynamic mode
does little to ruffle the fluid composure of the car. Allied to the almost invisible 8-speed automatic and instantly responsive engine, the S4 makes
effortless progress.

The dynamic steering system is worlds better than before but still has an initial jumpiness that feels slightly odd and it’s so light that you don’t
feel there’s a real connection to the front wheels. Having said that it takes only a few minutes to adapt to that and the rate of response feels much
more natural and consistent than those hateful early systems. I’m still not sold on the whole concept but I’ll admit it’s not a huge issue in this
car.

What of the switch from supercharged to turbocharged tech? Well, the new engine has excellent throttle response, a much stronger mid-range and the
delivery only starts to feel soft-edged in the last 800rpm or so at the top end. I think the old motor was a bit more characterful and created a
sharper edge to the driving experience, but the new engine is more refined and definitely gives a bigger kick. The move from the surgically precise S
tronic ‘box is another factor that rounds off the dynamic feel of the S4 rather than sharpens it to a defined point. There’s a suggestion that the
newfound torque meant the change was necessary but there’s no question that the S tronic ‘box is just a faster, more exciting experience. It’s a shame
that the S4 has lost that sparkling ingredient.

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Image 14 of 23
As for the chassis it’s partly brilliant and partly disappointing. The ride really is fluid and allows you to build up a nice, easy rhythm and whilst
there’s quite a bit of body roll the car has a sense of effortless control that seems to fit with its easy-going but impressive turn of speed. The
balance is also pretty good. Of course it can be made to understeer if you don’t listen to the howling tyres (it comes as standard with Hankooks,
which are brilliant in the wet but lack response and mid corner grip in the dry), but if you turn the car in slightly slower and then commit to the
throttle you feel the sport diff sending power to the outside rear tyre. As the corner unfolds a small yaw angle builds and then stabilises, so you
exit each corner with the car driving forwards but held in a shallow oversteering angle. It’s actually a really cool sensation.

The only problem is that the S4 feels slightly too soft-edged. The chassis is clearly very well sorted, the balance with the sport diff is adjustable
and not relentlessly understeery, but the weight savings advertised don’t really make themselves felt. Instead of feeling lithe and agile the S4 too
often feels like you’re coercing it into revealing its sportier side. I’m not suggesting it should be crashy and edgy but a small increase in body
control and turn-in response, a bit more volume for the exhaust and sharper gearshifts would transform the car. At the moment is feels too often just
like a ‘normal’ A4 that just happens to have a load more performance rather than a true performance derivative. It should be said that the S4 saloon
is tangibly more agile than the Avant model and feels slightly keener to entertain.

Audi S4 Avant

It’s always tempting to suggest that the estate version of any fast Audi is the one to have. They have such a rich heritage in fast estates, from the
Porsche-engineered RS2 to original RS4 and now with the massively potent RS6 Avant. However, in the case of the S4 the five-door version isn’t quite
as much fun as the saloon. The weight difference isn’t huge at 45kg (1675kg versus 1630kg) but you can definitely feel it. It’s slightly slower to
change direction and although we’re talking small degrees here, the saloon car just has cleaner reactions and a slight advantage in terms of
agility.

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Of course the Avant has its advantages. It’s just as understated as the saloon but has that estate car cool that fits nicely with the discreet nature
of the S4 and it’s, um, got a bigger boot. I suspect the former might be what swings it for many buyers and I can hardly blame them. However, if you
want the very best S4 in dynamic terms you should stick to the saloon car. It’s tangibly sharper and feels keener to be driven with enthusiasm.

Price and rivals

Prices have yet to be revealed in the UK but it’s bound to be a bit more expensive than its predecessor, so around £43,500 for the saloon and £45,00
for the Avant model seems likely. That [roppus] it slightly above the BMW 340i M Sport but below the new C43 AMG and Jaguar XE S. There’s a
neat little group of sub-M3 and C63 models building up here so we’ll try to conduct a grouptest of them all soon.

2016 Audi S5 review - Can less weight and more power transform Audi's premium coupe?
DAN PROSSER25 JUL 2016
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Image 1 of 24
VERDICT:
With a keener chassis the new S5 outscores the original
EVO RATING:
PRICE:
£40,000 - £45,000
FOR
More rewarding dynamics, overall quality
AGAINST
Uninspiring engine, still short on thrills
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The original Audi S5 never lit our world alight. Whether powered by tuneful V8 or, latterly, revvy supercharged V6 it was a second rate performance
coupe with an inert, unsatisfying chassis.

With less weight and more power this all-new version will hope to build on the original’s credentials – namely day-to-day and long distances use – by
delivering more on the driver involvement front. A new turbocharged engine and lightweight construction are among the headlines.

Engine, transmission and 0-60 time

The 3-litre turbocharged V6 engine – a relation of the brilliant 4-litre, twin-turbo V8 that powers the mighty RS6 – features direct injection and is
shared with the new S4, launched concurrently with the S5.

It uses a single twin-scroll turbocharger to reduce weight, cost and complexity, but like the V8 it mounts that turbo within the ‘vee’ of the engine
to improve response times.

The unit develops 349bhp from 5400-6400rpm with 369lb ft of torque ready across a tabletop rev band – 1370-4500rpm. The only gearbox option is the
effective ZF eight-speed automatic. The twin-clutch DSG unit that served in the previous generation S5 is not rated for this new engine’s torque
output.

Power is sent to all corners by a Quattro four-wheel drive system that features a locking centre differential. The nominal torque split is 40:60 front
to rear, but the system can divert up to 70 per cent of drive forwards or 85 per cent rearwards. A sport differential can also be specified to juggle
torque between the rear wheels.

Audi claims a 4.7 second 0-62mph time, while the top speed is electronically limited to 155mph.

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Image 12 of 24
Technical highlights?

Audi claims to have lowered the S5’s kerb weight by as much as 60kg over the previous version through ‘an intelligent mix of materials and lightweight
design’. Through careful management of the airflow around the car Audi has achieved a drag coefficient of 0.25, which it says is the lowest in the
class.

The suspension architecture is a sophisticated five-link arrangement at all four corners and adaptive dampers are available as an optional extra. The
electric power steering system, meanwhile, has been newly developed to improve steering response.

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Image 22 of 24
Within the cabin Audi’s impressive virtual cockpit, which locates a 12.3-inch digital display within the instrument binnacle, can be specified as an
option.

What’s it like to drive?

Just a few years ago the typical sporting Audi was beset with a crashy, unsettled ride quality. On the optional adaptive dampers, however, the new S5
rides with fluidity, making it a relaxing and cosseting machine both around town and over longer distances.

Similarly, the high quality cabin, modest road and wind noise and our test car’s optional sports seats imbue a sense of refinement and luxury that
calls to mind a miniature Bentley Continental GT. The torque-rich engine and smooth automatic transmission complete the picture.

Switch the car into dynamic mode, though, and it finds an athleticism that was missing from the previous model. It doesn’t suddenly mimic the
rear-wheel drive balance and adjustability of a BMW 4 Series, for instance, but the front axle does find good bite on the entry phase to a corner and
there’s a pleasingly neutral balance through the apex.

Far from being a relentless understeer monster the S5 can actually feel quite sweet in cornering, both at the turn in point and under power when the
optional sport differential is helping to drive the car through the bend from the outside rear corner. There is no playfulness in the chassis beyond
that, at least not in the dry, but the new S5 is usefully more entertaining on a twisty road than the previous version. Body control at the limit,
meanwhile, is good for a car of this size.

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Image 2 of 24
The optional dynamic steering adds unwanted weight (although you can take that out by using the customisable drive mode to leave it in comfort) and
there’s never any feel through the rim, but that doesn’t stop you, given time and familiarity, from finding the limit of front end grip and placing
the car right on that point corner after corner. The steering is direct and completely free of slack, too.

The V6 turbo is responsive and urgent from low engine speeds and it serves up muscular performance, but the sound is pretty uninspiring and there’s
simply nothing to get excited about as the rev counter needle approaches the redline. This engine serves a purpose and no more.

Curiously the automatic gearbox, so impressive in other installations, can feel a touch laboured on both up and downshifts when in manual mode, which
contributes to an overall sense of lethargy in the drivetrain. As with the chassis it’s effective, but not particularly thrilling.

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Image 5 of 24
Performance cars should be judged both on their capability and their character. This new S5 is much more capable in sporting terms than the original
S5 – sweeter and less frustrating to drive quickly – but, like the previous model, it is devoid of any real excitement, drama or character. It’s the
difference between a good car and a great one, and in this instance the difference between a four and a five star rating.

Price and rivals

The price is yet to be confirmed but expect to pay in the region of £40,000 to £45,000.

Both BMW and Mercedes-Benz have recently launched direct rivals to the new S5 in this second-tier sports coupe category. The BMW 440i costs £41,635
and loses out slightly to the S5 in terms of power – by 28bhp – but its rear driven chassis is likely to be more engaging than the Audi’s.

The £46,280 Mercedes-AMG C43, meanwhile, eclipses both rivals for power and torque. Like the S5 it drives all four wheels. We’ll bring you the triple
test as soon as we can.